Web 2.0 Approaches for Active, Collaborative Learning in Medicine and Health

Abstract

In recent years, advances in information and communication technology and especially the Internet have acted as catalysts for significant developments in the sector of health care, having a strong impact in supporting medical diagnosis, enabling efficient and effective patient and healthcare management and reforming medical education. There is currently an international trend to involve computers and the Internet heavily in medical curricula, in continuing life-long medical learning, as well as in general health education of the public. However, effective technology-supported interventions are usually created when there is a successful alignment of the specific requirements with the potential end use of technology. And it is just such a juncture we are currently facing with the emergent paradigm of Web 2.0. This chapter elaborates on the potential of Web 2.0 for active and, potentially, effective learning in medicine and in health and reviews current practices and trends in the field. The discussion focuses on research directions and emerging applications that fully exploit the potential of Web. 2.0 for advancing medical education. Finally, the envisaged merit of merging with Web 3.0 technologies is also discussed.